Unknown attackers bound and killed four Russian narcotics officers in the southern republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, burned their headquarters and made off with a cache of weapons that included assault rifles. The attack occurred in Nalchik, the capital of the republic, which is not far from Chechnya, and resembled previous raids led by Chechen militants or fighters allied with them. A spokesman for the Federal Drug Control Service said investigators were considering other possible motives for the killings, including a revenge attack by drug dealers. He said it was unclear how many weapons were seized but added that the entire stock was missing. Steven Lee Myers (NYT)